The FBI repeatedly failed to follow the strict guidelines of the Patriot Act when its agents took advantage of a new provision allowing the FBI to obtain phone and financial records without a court order, according to a report to be made public Friday by the Justice Department's Inspector General. The report, in classified and unclassified versions, remains closely held, but Washington officials who have seen it tell ABC News it documents "numerous lapses" and describe it as "scathing" and "not a pretty picture for the FBI." FBI Director Robert Mueller is scheduled to brief Congress on the report at noon. The officials say the inspector general found the FBI underreported by at least 20 percent the use of the controversial provision, known as National Security Letters, NSLs, in required disclosures to Congress. The Patriot Act gave FBI agents the ability to demand telephone, bank, credit card and library records by issuing an administrative letter, bypassing ... http://blogs.abcnews.com

The US military commander in Iraq is looking for further reinforcements while admitting that the war cannot be won without reconciliation with militants. The US administration announced in January that it was going to send an extra 21,500 troops to Baghdad and Anbar province west of the capital. Since then, the Pentagon has said that it will send a further 7,000 support troops of whom 2,200 will be military police, to handle an increased number of Iraqi detainees.General David Petraeus, US commander in Iraq, said that some of the reinforcements would go to Diyala province, east of Baghdad, where Sunni insurgents are on the offensive.But he added that military force alone was "not sufficient" to end violence in Iraq and political talks must include militant groups now fighting the US. "This is critical," said General Petraeus, adding that such negotiations "will determine in the long run the success of this effort"....http://news.independent.co.uk/world/middle_east/article2341357.ece

Insurgents have sought to intensify attacks during a Baghdad security crackdown and additional U.S. forces will be sent to areas outside the capital where militant groups are regrouping, the new commander of U.S. forces in Iraq said Thursday.U.S. Gen. David Petraeus said the troop buildups outside Baghdad will focus on Diyala province northeast of Baghdad, a growing hotbed for suspected Sunni extremists fleeing the U.S.-Iraqi security operation in Baghdad.But Petraeus stressed that military force alone is "not sufficient" to end the violence in Iraq and political talks must eventually include some militant groups now opposing the U.S.-backed government."This is critical," Petraeus said in his first news conference since taking over command last month. He noted that such political negotiations "will determine in the long run the success of this effort."...http://www.thestate.com/mld/thestate/news/world/16858529.htm

A 28-year-old woman may have kept the body of her roommate in their apartment for up to three weeks, police said. An anonymous caller told police in Wayne County's Canton Township on Tuesday night that the woman was living in the apartment with her dead roommate."Our detectives knocked at the door and the woman opened it and there is that odor, and you know right away what it is," Detective Rick Pomorski told The Detroit News.The body of the woman, believed to be in her 20s, was found covered by items of clothing on the living room floor. The 28-year-old tenant was cooperative with police and accompanied them to headquarters for questioning. She is not under arrest, Pomorski said....http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,258007,00.html

Iraq will ask neighboring countries to help improve its security at a rare regional summit in Baghdad on Saturday that will be attended by the United States. The Iraqi government will lobby Iran, Syria and other countries to tighten their borders, stop funding sectarian militias and crack down on religious leaders in their countries who encourage violence in Iraq, said Sami Alaskary, a Shiite lawmaker close to Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. The government will oppose any calls by Sunni-dominated countries to abolish Iraq's constitution and start the process over, Alaskary said. Some Arab countries think such a move is necessary for Sunni insurgents to put down their arms and join the government, he said. "There will be no going back to square one," Alaskary said. "They have to accept that we have a constitution, that this is the army that Iraq has built. There will be no going back."...http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/iraq/2007-03-08-iraq-summit_N.htm?csp=34

The city has settled a $20 million lawsuit filed by the family of a veteran New York Times reporter whose beating death raised questions about the city's emergency medical services, the mayor said Thursday.David Rosenbaum, 63, was beaten with a heavy plastic pipe during a mugging near his home in January 2006. The family alleged that the people responsible for helping Rosenbaum — from emergency medical workers to hospital staff — failed him."What happened to this family when they lost their loved one that night should never have happened," said Mayor Adrian Fenty at a news conference with Rosenbaum's family. In the settlement, the city will not pay any money to the family. Instead, the family has agreed to withdraw the lawsuit and give the District of Columbia one year to improve emergency medical services. If it does not improve, the family can refile the lawsuit....http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17525758/